Marantz announces new receivers, amps, more

Marantz has just unveiled its 2010 line of A/V products, and they run the full gamut of A/V receivers, amplifiers, Blu-ray Disc players, and even an SACD player.

In receivers, Marantz announced three new high-end, 7-channel units, the SR5005, SR6005, and SR7005, plus a smaller, less expensive receiver for budget-minded users, the NR1601. The SR7005 stands out as the flagship receiver, offering 125 watts per channel, three-zone audio output, and six HDMI 1.4a inputs that can handle 3D video signals. The receiver is also DLNA 1.5 capable and can accept streaming content from a local network, and will be able to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Finally, the SR7005 features built-in Bluetooth, and can accept streaming content from computers and portable devices over the wireless connection.

The SR6005 and SR5005 receivers respectively feature six and four HDMI 1.4 inputs that also support 3D video signals, and can decode Dolby HD and DTS HD streams. While they don't have built-in Bluetooth, they are compatible with Marantz's new RX101 Bluetooth receiver accessory. All three receivers now feature HDMI-to-HDMI 1080p video upscaling, offer Dolby Pro Logic IIz and accept Audio Return Channel over HDMI, allowing them to accept sound from HDTVs that feature their own tuners or network-based content streams. The SR5005 and SR7005 will ship in August with retail prices of $799 and $1,599, and the SR6005 will be available in September for $999.

The company also unveiled the NR1601 "Slimline" A/V receiver, an upgraded version of the already-released NR1501. The NR1601 features four HDMI 1.4 inputs and can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio streams. Like the SR5005 and SR6005, the NR1601 is also Bluetooth-ready and can accept the RX101 accessory. The NR1601 ships later this month and will retail for $599, while the NR1501 will get a price cut to $399.

Besides receivers, Marantz announced a handful of new amps and preamps. On the high end, the AV7005 stands out as the company's new top-of-the-line preamp, and are joined by the MM7025 stereo amplifier and MM7055 multichannel amplifier. The MM7025 and MM7055 amps ship this September with suggested retail prices of $799 and $1,199, and the AV7005 preamp will be available in October for $1,499. The company also revealed replacements for the PM8003 and PM5003 amplifiers, the PM8004 and PM5004. They will respectively be available in August for $999 and later this month for $449.

Finally, Marantz rolled out a number of new media players, including the UD5005 and UD7005 "Universal Media" players, which can play Blu-ray Discs, DVD-Audio, SACD, and other optical media, and can access online video services like YouTube and Netflix. The UD7005 stands out with a 7.1 analog output, supporting a wide variety of surround sound configurations. For audio, the CD5004 and SA8004 present dedicated CD and SACD players and replace the CD5003 and SA8003. The CD5004 ships later this month and will retail for $349, the SA8004 and UD5005 will ship in August and retail for $899 and $499, and the UD7005 will be available in September for $899.